What this solution does:

• Out-of-the-box capability allows consumer products companies to stand up a direct-to-consumer business in four weeks
• Enables the collection of consumer data in order to personalize the customer experience, build brand loyalty and improve products
• Provides brands with control over the end-to-end experience, enhancing brand image

The COVID-19 crisis is increasing demand for certain consumer products as consumers are preparing for extended stays at home. Many consumers are turning to online ordering, inundating and overwhelming online marketplaces and grocery delivery services. Forty-seven percent of consumers say they are struggling to get household essentials, and many of them are looking to go direct-to-brand in hopes of bypassing retailers and third-parties.

As consumers seek out brands, they’ve been confronted by the lack of availability—the dreaded “out of stock”—and settling on non-preferred brands instead. Some consumer packaged goods companies are seeing increase in traffic across the category as well as traffic direct-to-brand. Consumers that traditionally rejected online ordering are now embracing it; China has seen a 54 percent increase in online shopping. Globally, 40 percent of consumers use online shopping subscriptions and another 36 percent said they would turn to subscriptions in the future. This presents a huge missed opportunity for brands without direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce capabilities. The brands that have managed to pivot quickly have taken advantage of the opportunity and are now changing the retail landscape.

For brands that are new to DTC, pivoting quickly comes with its own challenges from setup and fulfillment to operations and customer service. In response, Publicis Sapient has built an out-of-the-box capability to stand up a DTC business in four weeks via differing platform options.

The scope of our capability includes: